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Sunday, August 28, 2011

Prince Albert, Football Fan

On Friday, HSH Prince Albert II was alongside good friend UEFA President Michel Platini at the Louis II Stadium in Monaco for a football match between FC Barcelona and FC Porto. Onlookers were a little disappointed not to see Princess Charlene accompanying her husband, but of course I speak of 'real life' people who like the princess, not the clique of 'e-people' who have had it in for her from the start. They ignored the game, the smiling prince, the laughter and conversation between two old friends and zoomed in on one thing: the lack of a wedding ring on the Prince's finger. Aha! "This proves it!" they exclaimed, "this means there really IS trouble in paradise!". Well, don't get your hopes up you twisted people. And, seriously, what sort of deeply hateful person has to obsess over two people finding happiness together and getting married, whoever they are? As I mentioned last post, the Princely couple is fine, there are no problems, they are doing great. Anyone can look at the pictures of the two of them, whether together or apart and all you will see is two happy people going about their daily lives. The absence of a wedding ring (and this is not even the first time since the wedding the Prince has been spotted without one) means absolutely nothing. In fact, I could find it a little bit insulting. My parents have been happily married for many decades and I have never seen my father wear his wedding ring in my entire life. The only reason I know it exists is because my mother showed it to me once while putting some clothes away (he kept it in his sock drawer with other valuables). Likewise, I don't remember my grandfather ever wearing his wedding ring and he was happily married to my grandmother from 1941 until the day he died. Move on people -there's nothing to see here.

Also, some have asked if the Grimaldi dynasty was represented at the wedding of HIRH Prince Georg Friedrich of Prussia this weekend in Germany. The answer to that would be "no". Not many high-profile royals attended the event, it being, after all, a marriage between two royals whose status is unrecognized by their current government. It also might have been a little uncomfortable for them to do so given that HRH the Prince of Hannover was there. However, that is not to say that there are any problems between the German and Monegasque royals. In fact, Prince Albert I of Monaco, our Albie's namesake and great-great grandfather, was quite good friends with Prince Georg Friedrich's great-grandfather Kaiser Wilhelm II (both of them being yachting enthusiasts). So, no problems between the Grimaldis and Hohenzollerns but Germany is just a little bit outside the 'orbit' of the Principality of Monaco these days.